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Significant archives are under threat in Cape Town’s fire. Why they matter so much

Significant archives are under threat in Cape Town’s fire. Why they matter so much

A wildfire on the slopes of South Africa’s Table Mountain has wreaked havoc at the University of Cape Town (UCT) campus. Among the sites of historical significance that have been damaged is the Jagger Library. The library houses rare and specialist collections, such as the important African Studies collections. The Conversation Africa’s Nontobeko Mtshali asked UCT academic Shannon Morreira to share her insights on what the loss means for the historical records held by the university. SHANNON MORREIRA, Senior Lecturer, University of Cape Town Why is the African Studies Book Collection so significant? When news broke that the Jagger Library…
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Battle to contain Cape Town fire, man arrested

Battle to contain Cape Town fire, man arrested

SOUTH African emergency workers have started evacuating three 17-storey residential buildings overlooking Cape Town city as a wildfire fanned by strong winds continues to burn out of control along Table Mountain, city officials said today. The fire started early Sunday morning on the slopes of Devils' Peak, another part of Cape Town's mountainous backdrop, forcing University of Cape Town students to evacuate residences as runaway flames set several campus buildings ablaze, including a library housing historic books and scripts. Around 250 firefighters are battling to control the blaze, as strong winds ground helicopters normally used in firebombing sorties. A thick…
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Cape Town’s climate strategy isn’t perfect, but every African city should have one

Cape Town’s climate strategy isn’t perfect, but every African city should have one

IT may take an extreme heatwave, a mega wildfire or a severe coastal storm to begin to appreciate the dangers of climate change. ALANNA REBELO, Postdoctoral researcher, Stellenbosch University KAREN JOAN ESLER, Professor of Conservation Ecology and Head of the Department of Conservation Ecology & Entomology at Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch University MICHAEL SAMWAYS, Professor, Conservation Ecology & Entomology, Stellenbosch University PATRICIA HOLMES, plant ecologist, Stellenbosch University TONY REBELO, Scientist, South African National Biodiversity Institute Africa is likely to be the continent hit hardest by climate change. The region is vulnerable to droughts, heat and floods and many countries have a…
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